Battle Of White
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: Blinking away tears of her own, Weiss swung Myrtenaster and aimed it at the ground before herself once more. Her grip on the hilt was crushing, until the cold metal felt like it was burning her flesh. She was furious, seething with anger, hatred, loathing- And yet... she felt oddly calm. (Vol 3 episode 10, spoilers)
1. Battle Of White

**Phew! I wrote this all in time before the new episode can prove me wrong!**

 **Initially, this was another commission for Tom! He outlined what he wanted to happen, but I put it into context of the Battle of Beacon episode and the war going on in the canon at this point in time. So you'll need to be caught up with the series to understand this fic entirely. And of course, the title of this fic is a play of words from the original episode title, based on the events of the content you'll be reading.**

 **Thank you again, Tom, for your awesome ideas and letting me write them!**

 **Amazing cover art drawn by onefourthdork,tumblr,com! I'll link more of their artwork for this fic at the end!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

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Battle Of White

Chaos.

That was putting it lightly. _Very_ lightly.

The entire campus was teeming with Grimm, festering with the poison of their presence, staining the clean air black and vile, tainting the lungs of all who breathed it in.

And they just kept coming.

No matter how many huntsmen and huntresses were deployed, the backup always seemed to be overwhelmed by twice as many Grimm. Not to mention the White Fang crawling through the carnage like maggots, setting fires ablaze without regard for consequence or injury. Bodies were dropping, mostly those of the Grimm, and sometimes a terrorist would meet a similar fate.

So far, the innocents seemed to be retreating to safety majorly unscathed. But unless something drastic changed quickly, it wouldn't be long before Beacon's side began losing numbers.

Blake was off handling issues with the White Fang to the best of her abilities, as terrifying and painful as it was for her.

Yang was hurrying to the docks with Zwei, but getting thrown off-course more times than she cared to admit.

Weiss found herself protecting a group of civilians who had been blocked from reaching an airship by Grimm. She was the only huntress present and able to fight for miles around.

It seemed everyone had thought the school had been evacuated, but there were still defenseless people who needed help in escaping.

Weiss shouted instructions to them as she fended off the Grimm and rouge Atlesian Knights.

"Group together! Hold onto the person next to you and don't let go!"

She didn't have time to check and ensure if they'd done it or not. An Alpha Beowolf was charging, and she rushed forward to meet it. Her size allowed for much greater agility and flexibility against the bulky creature.

She dodged around the bloodthirsty jaws and slicing fangs to pierce its chest, skewering it for an instant. It howled, but had yet to crumble.

However, before it could react long enough to swipe at her, Weiss switched the chamber in Myrtenaster and pulled the trigger. Instantly, the blade ignited with flames, searing the flesh and intestines around it, charring the beast from the inside out. She withdrew as it fell lifeless into the blood-soaked grass.

Before she could catch her breath, the next one was upon them, charging at the people she was trying to protect. Furiously, she leapt at it and slashed the back of its neck wide open.

But each kill seemed to make a smaller and smaller difference. For each one downed, two more took its place, or perhaps even three.

She'd already expended so much energy fighting off the slew of Atlesian Knights, soldiers who were supposed to have been on _her_ side. Had they not been overtaken and made to attack their own people, Weiss would have had twice as much energy and Dust at her disposal as she was running off of now.

She knew that her current tactics wouldn't hold out any longer. She couldn't afford to keep fending off each individual Grimm.

There was a brief moment of pause, and the closest beasts were too far off to be of concern just yet. But the fear and negative emotions wafting off the group of people Weiss was defending were sure to draw more and more monsters if she didn't do something quickly.

The goal was to get the citizens all onto airships and as far away as possible. This way, the groups of them would be spaced out, and only susceptible to attacks from a few aerial types of Grimm.

In addition to that, being on a ship and away from the worst of the fighting would ensure the people would become calmer, less afraid, and therefore less likely to draw Grimm to themselves.

Lastly, if all the citizens were moved to safety, every huntsman and huntress could fight their enemies without having to constantly look over their own shoulders to ensure a stray bullet or attack hadn't potentially endangered an innocent person.

Weiss looked over the group before her, altogether twelve people. She had encouraged them all to stay as quiet as possible, but there were children and a baby present. Their shrill cries perked the ears of more Grimm and sent the beasts on a rampage towards them.

Weiss acted quickly, unwilling to risk another second so the monsters could draw nearer.

"As I said, everyone stay close! The airship is nearby and its not leaving without you. Just do as I say and I promise you'll get to it."

They all shifted closer to one another, and Weiss didn't waste time.

She cast multiple glyphs all around them – repulsion glyphs – creating a barrier. It was a very risky idea, but Weiss knew there was no other way to protect all of them at once.

When the next Ursa reached them, it was thrown back by the force of the glyphs, tumbling backward over itself and skidding in the mud. The wolves and boars met similar fates from all sides, as Weiss gradually moved the group straight through the Grimm and towards the waiting ship.

However, being the caster, Weiss herself was not guarded by the barrier. Only the panicked shouts of warning gave her the chance to whip around and slash at the beasts trying to attack her from behind.

It was all high risks. If Weiss took the second to defend herself, she'd lose part of the barrier along with her concentration. She needed to kill her attacker quickly and efficiently, and then rebuild the glyphs before the citizens could be harmed.

But if she didn't defend herself, they'd all be killed anyway.

So the temporary lapses in the barrier and moments of fright would have to be a fair price in exchange for their lives.

It was exhausting to say the very least. Maintaining such a large barrier of glyphs around so many people while simultaneously fighting off whichever Grimm charged at her.

At the very least, she was faced with nothing larger than an Alpha Beowolf, which was just within the scope of what she could handle on her own in this condition. She just kept glancing at the airship, which never seemed to be getting any closer.

But they kept moving towards it, step by step, and in her straining mind, she knew they had to be getting there.

It all put a great strain on her mind and body, but she had to keep reminding herself of who she was.

 _This is... exactly what I've been trained for. This is what I've been working so hard for. This is real, and it's happening. I can't give up. It's only just begun..._

In this manner of supporting the barrier, keeping the Grimm at bay, and mentally coaching herself, Weiss managed to bring her group to the ship. They were all eager to run straight on board, but she had to yell for them to wait until they were close enough that she could remove the barrier safely. If someone went charging off thinking that ten feet wasn't a long enough distance for a Nevermore to swoop down and carry them off, they'd all meet that exact fate.

Weiss firmly insisted they wait those final three steps until they'd reached the platform of the doors. With a gasp, she released the barrier.

"Go! Hurry!"

They ran without question, but not ungraciously.

But Weiss wasn't pining for credit or gratitude. She didn't need such things.

Spinning around, she fired at an approaching herd of Boarbatusk. Casting a horizontal line of glyphs over the ground, she followed that path just inches in front of the deleterious tusks and cast ice.

The ones in the front-lines got stuck in place, the ones behind trampling and tumbling over the rest. Some legs snapped and squeals of pain rose up, causing a few of them to turn on one another.

It gave Weiss just enough time to turn around and watch the door close up. She heard a faint cry of "but what about _her_?" from on-board, and spared a second to be mildly flattered that someone had considered her after all.

But there was no time to waste.

As far as she knew, there might still be people trapped in this fray who needed help.

With the ship now safely airborne, Weiss took off once more, leaping over the line of tangled boars to face the bigger prey. She'd just gotten an idea, and she was willing to try anything at this point.

For a second, she stopped running, already attracting their attention by being the only person around.

But she wanted to attract as many of them as possible. And she knew of one way, even though it would hurt.

Quickly, she pulled out her scroll, found Ruby's number, and swiped it to call her.

She'd heard from Blake and Yang. She knew where they were. She knew they were fighting.

But she hadn't heard from her partner since she'd left with Blake to get coffee a few innocent hours earlier.

Weiss let her scroll ring, Ruby's image engraved on the screen and in her eyes. She wanted her to answer more than _anything_ , just to hear her voice, so Weiss could know she was okay...

But her call went unanswered, as she already knew it would.

The call ended unsuccessfully, and it sent a fresh wave of fear through her. Her heart twanged with worry and panic, a fresh ache filling her chest.

That alerted another slew of Grimm her way.

Her plan was working, but she couldn't let herself get distracted by Ruby's unresponsiveness – not right now.

The Grimm were upon her.

Beowolves, Boarbatusk, Ursai, and even a Death Stalker were charging over the ground, while a few Griffons swooped down from above. Her plan wouldn't work against the ones with wings, so she merely fired shots at them. She pierced through the membrane of several of their wings, causing them to plummet down, now having no choice but to join those on the ground.

She had a sizable group on her tail now.

So Weiss began to run.

They gave chase without hesitance, more and more joining in as the hoard rushed past.

Weiss ran for her life and for the lives of her friends.

 _That_ was the thought that kept her feet moving.

She could feel the hot, rank breath on her heels, feel the rush of air at her back as claws aimed to shred her. She allowed herself to fall back, to make it look as though they'd soon overtake her. Then, she used a glyph to boost her speed and get ahead of them, egging them onward.

She skirted around the boars still trapped in the ice, and fired a spark to set them aflame as she passed, burning them alive. The ones pursuing her didn't falter and continued to rush at her.

 _Good. Just a bit further..._

She made one final mad dash for her destination, watching as the ground fell away from her at the edge of Beacon's cliffs.

And she jumped.

As though it were the most natural thing in the world, she jumped.

Air blasted up at her as she fell, plunging through the white mist all around with nothing but death beneath her. She flashed out her arm and cast another glyph in midair to stop her descent, bouncing up off of it and onto another.

In this way, she gradually climbed her way back up through the air.

But the Grimm weren't so lucky.

Mindless and enraged as they were, they plowed into one another right over the edge. Boars bumbled over, wolves scraped and scratched the earth to no avail and fell, bears plummeted, griffons with mangled wings went down helplessly, screaming and snarling. The Death Stalker failed to skid to a halt fast enough, and its massive size ended up bowling a dozen more over before the scorpion itself slid off.

Thousands of feet below the floating land mass were oceans, swarming with Grimm sharks and squids that would gladly consume their fellows if given the opportunity.

Weiss remained suspended in the air for a moment, watching as the last of the Grimm she'd lured fell to their deaths. It was the most satisfying thing she'd witnessed in months.

But she couldn't enjoy the feeling of accomplishment for long.

A dangerous lapse in the glyph she was standing on very nearly caused her to fall through and join them in the dark waters far below. Her glyphs were faltering after being so excessively overused in such a brief amount of time.

Weiss snapped herself back into reality and cast the last few glyphs that eventually landed her back on solid ground. There were no Grimm in the immediate vicinity, which was a blessing, considering she couldn't even stand at the moment.

Weiss collapsed to her knees, her rapier slipping from trembling fingers, her back and shoulders heaving with desperate gulps of air.

For a long moment, she couldn't move, sweat dripping off her brow and chin as she felt her stomach twist. A wave of lightheadedness slammed over her, and she had to rest her head in her elbows braced on the ground. She struggled between breathing and swallowing for a moment, knowing it wouldn't be long before the next wave of beasts would seek her out.

But for once, luck seemed to be on her side.

It wasn't the sounds of roaring growls or beating wings that reached her ears next.

But rather, it was something she actually wanted to hear.

" _Weiss!_ "

She looked up, vision blurring as she caught sight of Yang rushing towards her, spattered with blood that didn't seem to be hers. She slid to a halt and dropped to her knees at Weiss' side, touching her gently despite the blood on her hands.

"Weiss? Weiss! Oh my god, are you okay?" She helped her sit up, letting Weiss catch her breath for a moment, rubbing her back for her softly until she could speak.

"Yes... Fine..."

"Thank god." Yang couldn't stop herself from pulling the girl into a sudden tight hug. "God, I just... I saw you being chased by all those Grimm and I didn't know what the hell you were planning. I thought you were just gonna... just gonna sacrifice yourself..." Her grip tightened defiantly around the heiress as Yang exhaled slowly, confirming the presence of the girl in her arms.

Weiss chuckled dryly.

"You oaf. You didn't... really think I'd do something so pointless, did you?"

A sniffle.

"No... I mean, I wasn't sure, I just-"

"I'm sorry," Weiss murmured. "If I'd known you were watching, I would've tried to signal to you somehow."

"It's alright. Just so long as you're okay. You gave me a scare, I'll tell ya that much."

Weiss chuckled again and gratefully returned the embrace.

But they knew they didn't have a lot of time for this sort of thing.

Once Weiss was able to stand, Yang helped her to her feet, keeping a hand on her back for support. The heiress then noticed Zwei had come along with her teammate, and she gave him a smile as well. Yang let out a quick sigh.

"Jeez, you were really killin' it," she commented. "That was a smart idea, bringin' 'em over the edge like that. Thank god you have your glyphs."

Weiss nodded, knowing she was probably the only person who could successfully pull off such a tactic with minimal risk of injury.

"It's the most efficient way," she said. "I don't have to waste Dust. Just a bit of energy and a few glyphs."

"You've always been a quick thinker. Nice job, Weiss."

"Not bad yourself. You managed to get all the way here unharmed."

They shared a brief smile, then became serious once more. Yang pulled out her scroll, but after a quick glance put it away again.

"Weren't you with Blake? Where is she?"

"We split up. She went around that way." Weiss nodded in that direction, then glanced back at Yang. "Have you... seen or heard from Ruby yet?"

Yang's shoulders visibly slouched.

"No. I'm guessing you haven't either, huh?"

"No..."

"But she's fine. I know she is. Somehow I just know."

Weiss felt that was the most reassuring thing she'd heard all day. She trusted Yang's sisterly instincts just as much as she trusted her own.

Together, the two of them began running towards Blake's last-known location.

There were a few more Grimm parading the area, which they took care of much more easily now that they had a teammate at their side. Weiss was still a bit woozy from her earlier performance at the cliffs, but Yang's watchful eye ensured the heiress didn't get so much as a scratch on her.

Gradually, they made their way towards the school building, relieved to discover no more civilians appeared to be here. Yang used her scroll once more to try and call her partner, but there was no answer.

"Damn it. Should we split up and look for her?"

"Absolutely not. Do you really think either of us are in any state to fight alone right now?"

"But Blake probably isn't either!"

"So let's find her. Together."

The red panic that had begun flaring in Yang's eyes ebbed away a bit. Weiss offered a small smile of reassurance.

She was worried about Ruby and Blake as well. But she couldn't imagine how worried _Yang_ was.

After all, they were her partner and her little sister.

The pair continued onward into the school, shuddering to find the familiar walls crumbling.

Just yesterday, this had been a place where they could be safe.

And now...

Grimm and White Fang were overriding the hallways and classrooms, destroying everything in sight as their bloodcurdling howls and shouts shook the air.

The girls dealt with whichever opponents presented themselves to them, spitting out curses of their own as they cut them down or blasted them to bits.

Zwei was speedy enough to run between the legs of the White Fang members and avoid the claws of the Grimm, barking loudly to cause a temporary distraction. Those were just the few seconds Yang needed to send her adversaries flying.

Weiss encountered another wave of malfunctioning soldiers, finding it a pity that she had to destroy her native kingdom's advanced technology.

After a few minutes, the immediate area had been cleared, and the girls took a moment to catch their breath. But it wasn't long before Zwei began yipping again.

"Shit..." Yang straightened herself up and turned to face the direction he was pointing in. "All right, who's next? Lemme at 'em." She took up her defensive stance and waited, listening to the patter of approaching footsteps rounding the corner.

Weiss took up her position on Yang's other side, waiting-

"Arf!"

"Huh?"

"Whoa!"

Blake and Ruby barely managed to skid to a halt before colliding with their partners, but the relief between them all was instantly palpable.

"Weiss! Yang! Oh, and Zwei, too!"

"Yang!"

"Ruby!"

"Blake!"

They all cried out each others' names and met their partners with weary embraces and murmurs of relief. Yang squeezed Ruby first before letting her down. Their leader then threw her arms softly around Weiss.

It was the only thing Weiss had needed up until now. Her resolve was reenforced tenfold now that she knew her team was safe.

As Ruby hopped away from her, Weiss got to chiding, though she couldn't keep the relief out of her voice.

"You dunce! Why didn't you answer your scroll? Do you have _any_ idea how worried-"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry! Blake told me how worried you all were, and I'm sorry! But I lost my scroll when Mercury was trying to stop me and-"

"Mercury?"

"What? He's here?"

"Yeah..." Ruby gave a small sniffle as memories of Penny flashed through her mind, but she quickly shook her head. "Emerald is, too. I'm not sure what's going on, but those guys definitely have something to do with it."

The other three shared looks of consternation and anger, but there was nothing they could do about that right now.

"Either way," Yang mumbled. "Let's head back outside. Weiss came up with a pretty good tactic to get rid of Grimm, so let's lure out as many as possible."

There were nods all around, then a single bark.

They took off together at top speed, fighting only when they absolutely had to. Yang described Weiss' luring tactic to the others as they went, then began questioning her sister.

"You were at the stadium, right? So how'd you get here?"

"Uhh, long story. I'll explain some other time! But I got here and I just started fighting whatever and whoever I could. And by some stroke of luck I ran into Blake and..." She trailed off and flashed the Faunus girl a timid look. Yang glanced to her partner as well.

But Blake avoided their eyes.

"Let's just say I'd needed help. And she helped me out and we took off together from there."

Yang could infer what had happened. Blake had spoken of her old partner several times before, and whenever she did, she always got this dejected look in her eyes.

But at the very least, it seemed she and Ruby had managed to chase him off, at least for now.

They were all okay, and that was what mattered most.

They found themselves outside once more, leading a fresh pack of Grimm away from the school building. They began to try out Weiss' tactic of luring the monsters over the sides of the cliffs.

Weiss led a small pack of wolves over, then brought herself back to safety on her glyphs. But it was evident to the other three that she needed a rest, and a bit of time to rebuild her energy.

Ruby quickly dealt out roles for each of them.

Being that Yang was the one most likely to enjoy the thrill of jumping over the edge of a cliff thousands of feet in the air, Ruby selected her to be the "jumper."

She herself, Weiss, and Zwei would gather up Grimm and lure them to a certain point, and then transfer the chase to Yang.

From there, she would lead them over the edge, and Blake would toss Gambol Shroud for her to catch and pull her back up with it. It was a move they were both more than used to by now, and they had no qualms with trying it out in this way.

They enacted this plan, and several times were successful with it, leading over fifty more beasts to their deaths.

But even the Grimm weren't _entirely_ mindless. They began to catch on, and refused to give chase to the cliffs.

Just as Blake pulled Yang up from their most recent lure, Ruby flashed her gaze around to the rest of them.

"This plan's run its course. Anybody got a Plan B?"

Despite how many they'd already killed, more just kept coming. The girls had no choice but to keep fighting and hold out for some form of backup.

Yang stepped forward, cracking her knuckles.

"Guess we just gotta take 'em head-on. Kill as many as we can, however we can."

Blake wiped her brow and quickly added a comment.

"Who knows if backup is coming. They could take hours if they are. We can't just wear ourselves out until we can't fight anymore."

"I dunno about you, Blake, but I don't see many other options."

More Grimm were headed their way now. The four of them were likely the only people in the area, which meant there was no one else in trouble at least.

But it meant the Grimm could focus solely on them.

They braced themselves and readied their weapons, but just before they could move, their leader spoke a final warning.

"Try to take turns. Let one person engage them and the other person can cover their back and rest for a second, then switch. It's the best we can do."

The others nodded, then took off.

They did as Ruby suggested. The young leader herself had the most energy out of all of them, so she charged in headfirst. Weiss covered her partner's back, shielding Ruby's blind side and staying on the ground as the brunette jumped and swirled high into the air.

Ruby lopped off as many limbs and heads as she could, blocking the pincers of another Death Stalker while Blake ran in from one side to slice at its legs. Once it was immobilized, Weiss easily cut off its poisonous tail, rendering it helpless and harmless. Yang finished it with a devastating punch that turned it into embers.

They continued switching between fighting and backing one another up, doing whatever they could to help one another and avoid getting hit.

There was a certain kind of ferocity about them, an almost vicious malice as they took out their strife and anger on the beasts. They fought as though ripping the Grimm to shreds would somehow bring Penny back to them. Blake tried not to think of Adam, lest the festering grief and fear attract more trouble for them.

It was nonstop activity and motion, blades, glyphs, Dust, bullets and everything else they had.

As the team got back into its rhythm of having four members fighting together, the Grimm almost seemed hesitant a few times.

The girls weren't scared of them, and they were doing their best to keep their negative emotions in check, which caused almost a disinterest in the beasts.

But they still kept charging, sometimes thinking Zwei would make a tasty morsel until they found themselves at the curved end of Crescent Rose.

They worked together, alone, and in pairs, fighting beside whomever was closest, falling into the pace of the un-choreographed dance of battle.

One minute brought ten more Grimm, and they'd been fighting for nearly half an hour already.

There was a thick, black haze clogging the air, the particles of deceased Grimm, a shroud that never seemed to thin or disperse.

Shouts of all their names went up amongst the snarls and roars, warnings and compliments and words of reassurance.

They were just barely managing the Grimm on the ground.

But then they started coming from the sky as well.

The Griffons began soaring in, taking note of the commotion and swooping down.

One plucked Blake up in its claws and nearly carried her off, but Ruby grabbed onto its tail and sunk her scythe across one of its wings before it could get very far. Once it was down, Yang sent a blazing fist through the underside of its beak while Weiss helped Blake out of the talons.

At that point, the tables began to turn, and they weren't sure if they'd ever been in their favor in the first place.

Ruby made the snap decision to send Zwei off while he still had the energy to run quickly enough to avoid the Grimm.

"Go find someone-" she panted. "Anyone. Just- b-bring them here, Zwei. We need help. Hurry!"

With a bark, he darted off, too quickly for the Grimm to even notice, let alone touch him.

Weiss watched him go, and for a second she saw two of him. Stumbling, she quickly leaned on Myrtenaster for a crutch.

But another wolf was upon her, and she stiffly lifted her rapier. Just before the claws swung down, Blake rushed by and nudged Weiss out of the way.

"Catch your breath. I've got this one."

She shot the wolf in the throat, just barely avoiding getting her ears bitten off in the process. Yang needed to hurry in and help her with it.

A throbbing headache was slamming against the inside of Weiss' skull, and she had to take a knee for a moment and close her eyes. She could hear Blake and Yang grunting with effort, the cries of triumph now dwindling into whimpers of pain. Even Ruby was missing more hits than she was making, and they were taking blows more and more often now.

They couldn't keep this up much longer.

Weiss didn't know if Zwei would find anyone to bring back for help, and even if he did, they might not have enough time to wait however long it might take.

Weiss had noticed a few minutes ago how close they were getting to the edges of the cliffs. But this time, it was the Grimm herding _them_ over the edge.

 _We can't keep going like this. There are too many. We've got to do something..._

"Weiss?"

Ruby's panicked voice sounded beside her, and Weiss was instantly on her feet, thinking her partner was in trouble. But Ruby's attention wasn't on the Grimm right now – it was on her.

"Weiss- oh thank god." Seeing her partner stand up again made her feel a little better.

Weiss shook herself a bit.

"Sorry. I'm fine. Let's help those two."

The Grimm kept pushing, and they did their best to push back and gain favorable ground.

But they all knew they were gradually losing. Only a few dozen yards were between their backs and the edges now.

As Weiss gave a deadly spin and jabbed open the throat of an Ursa Major, she caught a glimpse of the Dust chambers in her rapier. They were dangerously low.

As soon as she could, she caught her partner's eye.

"Ruby-" she gasped. "We've got to- got to get away from the edge. If we go over, I can't hold all four of us on my glyphs, not like this- _ah_ -!"

A sudden strike from a Griffon cut her off, knocking Weiss to the ground. Enraged, Ruby fired at it, and Yang joined in until they felled it.

Ruby dropped to her knees to help Weiss up, apologizing as she needed to all but yank her to her feet lest she be trampled. Weiss moaned, but fought her way back to her senses. She looked around at them, battered and bloody now.

The battle had become arduous, merely drawing out their inevitable defeat.

Ruby's leggings and sleeves were torn, and though she didn't cry, her eyes were welling up with fear, and her hands were shaking.

Blake was limping too much for it not to be serious, and she was resorting less to her blade now and more to her bullets.

Yang was nursing a sore side, possibly a few broken ribs, and blood smeared her lip.

Weiss could feel a steady trickle of warmth dripping down the side of her own head, occasionally invading her vision and turning it red. There was a throbbing in her chest that matched the ache in her skull, and she knew she was nearly out of Dust.

She used the last of it now, shooting out a round of ice as she'd done in the past on the train, creating a barrier around her teammates. It was the last thing she could manage right now, giving them the gift of a few minutes to catch their breaths.

Yang wiped her forehead and motioned for Blake to come to her side so she may lean on her. Ruby wiped her palms on her dress to keep the sweat from making Crescent Rose slip.

They couldn't keep this up.

They were running out of time, resources, breath...

There was only one way.

Weiss was the only one who could do it.

She _had_ to, or else she might lose someone precious to her.

Or she might lose _all_ of them.

"I have to..."

With the ice set up now, she had a bit of time.

Pointing Myrtenaster at the ground and closing her eyes, she tried to focus past the pounding in her head.

 _Think of your fallen foes..._

Winter's voice was clear in her mind, her instructions engraved in Weiss' heart.

She knew exactly _what_ she needed to do. She just didn't know _how_.

 _Emotions can grant you strength, but-_

An explosive blast destroyed Weiss' glyph and concentration.

The Grimm had broken into the ice, their furious roars splintering the air.

The huntresses had no choice but to retreat further, away from the blocks of ice that would only risk tripping them. The Grimm followed, and it was all Blake and Yang could do to protect their sides. They couldn't let the Grimm circle them, because if they exposed their backs, their chances of getting out of this alive were much slimmer than they were now.

Ruby jumped forward and began swinging at the charging boars, glancing quickly back over her shoulder at her partner.

"Weiss? Weiss, what are you doing?"

Weiss said nothing as she forced herself to conjure up another glyph. Its light was weak, but it was all she could manage. Once again, she closed her eyes, relying entirely on her teammates to cover her.

 _I'm sorry. I'll help too, I promise..._

She thought of her deceased enemies, remembering the vivid image of the white wolf Winter had called forth just a few days earlier for her to see.

Weiss could see it clearly, forming its shape in her mind down to the tiniest detail. She imagined it coming to life, fighting at her side...

Slowly, she reopened her eyes.

But her glyph remained as it had been when she'd closed them - small, faltering, and empty.

"No..." she rasped. "No, th-this has to work! It _has_ to!"

A flare of anger and fear surged through her, and the glyph's glow fluctuated again.

Weiss saw her team, fighting for their lives while she was just _standing_ there. Blake biting back tears, hanging off Yang's side just to stay on her feet. That ensured Yang could only use one of her arms to fight, and their attacks were becoming less effective by the minute.

And Ruby-

" _WEISS, LOOK OUT!_ "

The shrill cry was followed by a massive impact, and Weiss was thrown to the ground once more. She screamed in agony, scrambling to get a grip on her rapier again, lifting her head and blinking past blood and hair to seek her.

A Griffon screeched where Weiss had just stood, pinning Ruby beneath its claws, one talon buried in her shoulder. Ruby was screaming in pain, tears streaming down her face as she cried out. She couldn't manage to lift Crescent Rose like this and could only feebly try to block the huge beak from tearing out her throat.

Weiss tried to aim a shot, but she'd forgotten she had no Dust left. All she managed was a measly bullet – what turned out to be the last of them.

At the very least, it deterred the beast's attention for a second, long enough for Yang to let go of Blake and slam a punch into the Griffon's side, knocking it away from her sister. She shouted out Ruby's name, but had no chance to go to her. The other Grimm were already lunging at them, and Blake and Yang were the only two able to fight now.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted. "Ruby, are you okay? Oh my god-"

Weiss hadn't torn her eyes off of her partner for a second.

Ruby was lying on her back, sobbing and wailing, clutching her right shoulder as blood welled up beneath her fingers.

"I-I c-can't feel my arm, i-it's just _numb_ -!"

The sheer terror in her voice sent a delighted ripple through the Grimm.

Ruby pushed herself over onto her stomach and tried to crawl, yelping out in pain, smearing a trail of blood behind herself.

Weiss' heart was ramming against her ribcage so hard.

To see Ruby that way, when it should've been _her_...

She was in _so_ _much_ pain.

Weiss needed to take responsibility for her own carelessness. The price of her lack of vigilance was her partner's anguished screams.

Weiss wished Ruby had just let the beast shred her as it should have.

Ruby suddenly stopped dragging herself across the ground, her body curling and convulsing in spasms of pain as more screams rose up from her frightened lips.

Blake and Yang shouted her name, but could do nothing more.

And yet, it was more than Weiss could do.

She couldn't even find her voice.

 _No_.

She'd let them all get hurt enough.

 _No more_.

They were all breaking down, bleeding, crying.

 _Enough of this._

Her cold eyes found Ruby's agonized ones, dripping with stinging tears. She whimpered and choked out a sob.

"Weiss... I'm scared..."

 _Not her_.

Weiss refused.

Blinking away tears of her own, Weiss swung Myrtenaster and aimed it at the ground before herself once more. Her grip on the hilt was crushing, until the cold metal felt like it was burning her flesh.

She was furious, seething with anger, hatred, loathing-

And yet... she felt oddly calm.

She could feel her heart thudding erratically, synching once more with the pounding in her head. Her blood was boiling.

She knew this would only bear the same fruitless results as before. Her emotions were too jumbled, too intense, too crazed.

So why did she feel so calm?

Weiss envisioned the white beasts once again, vaguely aware of the sounds as Ruby dragged herself closer.

"Wuh-Weiss-? Wh-What are you-?"

"Stay back."

Her voice was firm but soft - a plea, not an order.

She realized it wasn't anger anymore.

It wasn't hatred or loathing or fear.

This... _burning_ inside of her.

It wasn't any of those things.

It was something else.

The glyph before her began to flicker, the light becoming stronger.

Teeth grit, she cried out, feeling tears rush past her eyelids and down her cheeks.

 _I won't let them die. I won't let them get hurt anymore!_

She could hear Ruby calling out desperately now, screaming Blake's name, then Yang's.

They'd gone down as well.

This was it-

 _NO!_

The burning sensation inside of Weiss seemed to burst forth and overflow, channeling, then spilling out into her glyph. The deafening sounds of the Grimm were suddenly muffled, and all she could hear was Ruby calling out to her.

 _Not her. Not them. I have to... I have to protect them... the people I care most about..._

Something was building up in the pit of her stomach. It almost felt as though she was going to be sick. It hurt, but somehow, it felt _right_.

With one final push of her mind, Weiss screamed, tears pouring down as a blinding light ignited the space before her. She was vaguely aware of the pain as she fell to her knees again, gasping for air that didn't seem to come.

"WEISS!"

They all called out to her.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

The Grimm had stopped their attack, frozen in place as though in awe of the white glyph separating themselves and the huntresses.

Weiss was the only thing between the Grimm and her bruised teammates, and not far away was the cliff's edge.

Weiss looked at them, Blake and Yang shielding Ruby with their own bodies as she reached out for Weiss. Their eyes were wide, dripping with tears.

But the fear had vanished.

When Weiss looked back to her glyph, she understood why.

The white beak emerged first.

It was followed by the massive head, two beady blue eyes, thousands of thick white feathers.

Then the wings, one at a time, the back, the legs, the tail...

The white Nevermore shrieked, loudly enough to send the Grimm back a pace. It rose up, beating its mighty wings enough to make the air tremble, casting down an array of white feathers like icicles onto the beasts below.

It was the first one they'd ever fought and defeated together – as a team.

And it wasn't alone.

From the glyph emerged several Beowolves, followed by Boarbatusk, Ursai, and a King Taijitu.

They moved with purpose, charging at their living counterparts with vigor.

Those on the ground met in a vicious tangle of claws and fangs, tearing throats and slashing muzzles. The white Nevermore shielded the huntresses from above, swatting away the black Griffons with ease, snapping their necks and cracking their skulls. It rained more deadly feathers onto the black beasts, cutting them in half while its white companions tackled the ones that stayed standing.

The white Grimm were few, but they possessed an intelligence bestowed upon them by their master.

They worked together, using meaningful tactics to take their adversaries down.

The black Grimm only reacted with violence at first, instinctively attacking whatever was in front of them.

But as the white beasts continued to cut their numbers down, the black creatures began to retreat.

Weiss maintained her Summoning glyph, focusing on her unique connection with each white creature. She held onto them until the last of the black Grimm had been killed or chased off.

But controlling a Summoning was no simple feat for one creature, let alone twelve.

On top of that, this was her first successful attempt. She almost couldn't believe it...

 _I... I did it...?_

It wasn't just a dream, right?

The Nevermore cawed softly as it began to disintegrate, and the ones on the ground soon followed.

The dark haze that had been hanging around them until now was being pushed away by a sprinkle of white.

One by one, Weiss' Grimm faded, their light flowing back into the glyph until it flickered out of sight.

For a moment, everything was still.

Then, Weiss felt a gasp of air heave through her body, as though she were waking up from a trance. Her rapier clattered to the ground as she hunched forward on her hands and knees, panting harshly.

The physical exertion from the fight, combined with the mental toll the multiple summonings had just taken on her, now piled up. It felt as though a mountain had been dropped on top of her.

She'd almost forgotten about the others.

Yang, Blake, and Ruby all scrambled to her side.

"H-Hey!"

"Weiss!"

"Oh my god!"

Weiss could feel them helping her sit up, hands rubbing her back and supporting her shoulders. It was still difficult to breathe, each inhale feeble, and each exhale clipped. Her heartbeat was speeding up at a terrifying rate, but she couldn't do anything by means of explaining things.

The others didn't need her to tell them that something was wrong, though.

"Holy shit-" Yang could feel Weiss' pulse more easily than her own. Judging by the look of alarm Blake gave her, it was the same for her. Yang bit her lip. "Whoa, W-Weiss, easy! H-Hey-"

"Weiss?!" Ruby seemed to have forgotten her wounded shoulder for the time being as she wrapped her partner in her arms. "W-Weiss, Weiss, what's going on? What _was_ that? W-What did you do? Oh god, your heart is going _crazy_ -"

"Summoning," Blake said softly. "Her family can all summon, but- but this was too much, Weiss. This was _way_ too much-"

They all huddled around her, trying to calm her down and help her breathe.

Ruby sobbed over her shoulder, scared that Weiss' heart might give out at any second now. Her partner was trembling uncontrollably in her arms, gasping meekly for air. Ruby whimpered her name over and over, begging her to be okay...

Weiss felt her eyelids close, and the world went dark for a long moment.

But the cries of her name brought her back.

Moaning softly, Weiss reopened her eyes, shocked to find her breath was coming easier now. Her headache was still splitting, but it was somehow manageable compared to the pain she'd been feeling up until now. The aching numbness in her body remained, but the turmoil in her chest was beginning to dwindle.

Ruby continued to hold her, sobbing softly as she looked to Blake and Yang, wanting answers. They kept their eyes on the school, alert in case more Grimm reappeared.

Blake managed to pull out her scroll and send distress signals as well as requests for medical attention. Yang was supporting her, though her eyes stayed on Weiss.

Ruby could feel her partner shuddering, but it was starting to slow. The strain on her heartbeat and breathing seemed to be easing a bit.

Ruby sniffled again and again, squeezing Weiss and rubbing her back.

"I-It's okay. Just be okay, Weiss, _please_... I'm so worried, please just be okay-"

Her words motivated Weiss further. She breathed more slowly, manually, focusing on Ruby. And Ruby could feel Weiss getting better, bit by bit.

And at long last, she heard a familiar voice croaking at her ear.

"R... Ruby..."

"Weiss? Oh gosh, Weiss-"

"I'm... I'm all right..."

"Are you sure? Y-You almost- y-your heart-"

"Ruby..." Weiss sighed into the soft red material of her cloak. "I'm sorry... You got hurt-"

"Don't do that!" Ruby wailed, hugging her tighter. "It wasn't your fault, Weiss! You got hurt, too! You saved me! You saved _all_ of us with those white Grimm!"

"She's right," Blake added. "Yang and I couldn't throw even one more hit. If not for you-"

"We'd be toast," Yang said bluntly. "I don't know how you did it, Weiss, but you did. We owe you."

Weiss couldn't turn to look at the others, as Ruby was still clinging to her, keeping her in place. But she managed a dry chuckle.

"You oaf... it's not about owing each other..." She was vaguely aware that Ruby's sobs were turning to tiny giggles now that she knew Weiss was all right. "But..." Weiss gasped again. "B-But did I... really-?"

"Summon?" Blake guessed. "You sure did. It was incredible, Weiss. I've never seen anything like it."

"I never knew you could do that!" Yang added. "How come you never said anything?"

"Because..." Weiss sighed. "I... didn't know I could do it, either. I'd always had so much trouble..."

Ruby finally pulled away from her, but still kept her arms around Weiss' shoulders.

"It was _really_ awesome, Weiss! I couldn't believe it! That Nevermore was the one we fought at initiation, wasn't it? That's so cool! Ohhh, but I'm just glad you're okay now." As quickly as she'd pulled away, she pulled Weiss back into another hug. "Gosh, that was so scary..."

"Sorry." Weiss returned the hug again, sighing into her partner's shoulder.

For a moment, the four of them stayed quiet. Blake moved in and put an arm around Weiss and the other around Yang, while the blonde pulled her sister and teammates close to her.

"We made it..." she sighed.

"But what if it's not over?" Blake muttered.

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see. But honestly, I hope those medical squads find us before any more Grimm do. We took out at least a few hundred when you think about it, and that's kind of a lot. I think we did pretty good."

"Well," Weiss said.

"Well, what?"

"We did _well_ , you oaf."

"Wow, really?" Ruby chuckled at their little squabble, and even Blake smiled.

Ruby then took the time to address something she'd been thinking about since earlier.

"Blake? What about... that person you know?"

Blake's smile faded, and Ruby instantly regretted speaking. The Faunus girl only shrugged.

"I don't know. He escaped. I just- hope he won't come back..." She wiped her arm over her eyes, and Yang quietly pulled her into a small hug of their own.

Ruby still hadn't let go of Weiss, either, but the heiress was in no hurry to separate just yet. She felt that if Ruby let her go, she wouldn't be able to stay sitting up on her own, let alone stand.

Weiss closed her eyes again and focused on her breathing, wincing as another twang of pain shot through her chest, then her head. Ruby felt her jolt and squeezed the small of her back.

"Weiss? You okay?"

"Yes. Fine..."

But despite her words, Ruby couldn't help but feel she was anything but fine.

However, she couldn't pursue the matter just yet due to a certain sound suddenly filling the air.

It was a hyper, loud, yipping sound.

"Zwei!"

Ruby kept her good arm around Weiss to keep her upright as she turned a bit, looking out across the campus to the source of the sounds.

Zwei was speeding towards them, and thankfully, there were no Grimm on his tail.

"Oh good," Yang sighed. "He's still in one piece."

"Maybe he brought help," Blake added hopefully. "We could really use it."

They waited, and as Zwei drew nearer, they could soon make out a pair of people behind him. As soon as Ruby recognized who it was, she called out in relief.

"Uncle Qrow!"

"Professor Goodwitch!" Yang cried.

Zwei skidded to a halt at Ruby's feet and climbed into her lap, flopping tiredly over her dress.

"Good boy! Good boy, Zwei!"

Weiss had to admit, she wouldn't mind a bit of medical attention right about now.

But all of this was far, far from over.

Glynda and Qrow hadn't gotten within twenty yards of the four girls when something stopped them.

Something stopped _everything_ , it seemed.

It began with a sound that made blood and hearts freeze.

They'd all felt that colossal earthquake before, the thundering tremble of earth that had shaken the elevated pieces of land, and even the ships in midair.

And now, whatever had caused that was clearly linked to this raucous noise.

It split the air so suddenly and so harshly it was almost as though it had physically cut a jagged bolt of lighting through the oxygen they breathed. The roar was deep and guttural, a concussive, earth-shattering volume that buzzed in the pits of their stomachs and beat at the insides of their heads.

Glynda and Qrow skidded to a halt where they stood, casting their horrified gazes skyward.

The four young huntresses followed their eyes-

-and wished they hadn't.

They'd never seen anything like it before.

A massive – absolutely massive – monster was headed for the school.

When ravening roars weren't erupting from its throat, the dragon was eerily silent, given its size. Silent except for the haunting, rhythmic flap of its all-encompassing wings.

The sounds were a terrifyingly slow contrast to the rapid beating of their hearts as they clung to one another, forgetting how to breathe, how to look away.

It took its time, like a king approaching to take its throne, un-rushed and unopposed.

And certainly feared.

The dragon was soon above them, passing over them without taking note of the girls, not caring for their futile existences. It perched on the very top of the school's main building, the advanced structure of the modern architecture crumbling beneath its claws that were like stalagmites. The armored tail swung threateningly, bashing against any surface it could reach.

Ruby was frozen in terror, so petrified in Weiss' arms that she couldn't make so much as a sound. Yang was keeping her arms around the others, but even she felt the instinctual need to run for her life. Blake knew that if her leg hadn't been injured and her teammates hadn't been in such bad condition, she would've been convincing them all to flee right now.

But they all knew they couldn't, not like this.

Moving now would only draw attention to themselves.

However, even though Weiss was just as frightened as the rest of them, she felt that she could still do something about this.

The beast parted jaws that traveled down the length of its neck and gave another roar, making every person flinch and every other Grimm pause for a moment to recognize this greater, imposing presence.

The dragon swung its head around and bashed its armored face into the building beneath it, biting and clawing and destroying as much as it could. It seemed to be focused on digging downward, as though there was something beneath the school that it was seeking.

Glynda and Qrow had redirected their attention to the dragon, deeming that at the very least, Ruby and her team weren't being directly targeted right now. The two adults made as many calls for backup as possible, but were forced to leave the four girls and hurry off to engage the dragon.

Ruby was shivering with fear within the arms of her friends, humbled, awestruck, and innately horrified. Blake's thin voice wheezed out a whisper of disbelief.

"What... _is_ that thing? We've never... learned about a Grimm like that..."

Yang shook her head limply.

"I don't... damn it, why can't they send us an airship? We can't fight that thing. Not like this..."

But Weiss had remained oddly silent until now, her mind moving and active when her body couldn't be.

"Or maybe we can..."

The others looked to her in shock.

"What?" Ruby whimpered. "Weiss, what do you mean? There's n-no way we can-" She cut herself off as the others seemed to come to the same realization. But Ruby continued in a fluster. "W-Weiss, no! You can't do that summoning thing again! It nearly _killed_ you last time!"

"She's right," Blake growled. "You don't have enough energy for a spell like that, and you don't have any aura left to heal yourself from the strain."

"So, in short," Yang clarified. " _No way_ , Weiss. No way in hell."

They'd all moved a bit closer to her, resting hands on her back and their cheeks on her shoulders in an effort to persuade her otherwise.

But Schnees were infamous for being stubborn; if they'd already set their minds to something and steeled their hearts, they'd accomplish it no matter what.

They'd all feared Weiss was beyond listening to reason at this point.

The heiress raised her head slowly, still wincing at the ache behind her eyes, squinting at the beast high above them.

It was destroying their beloved school, the place where Weiss had formed so many bonds, built up so many relationships, made so many friends...

The place where they'd all learned and studied and laughed together...

It was crumbling away before her very eyes.

And she was intent to play a hand in putting an end to it.

She covered her mouth to let out an arid cough, but when she spoke, her voice was clear.

"It won't be as many... as before..." she promised them. "Just one this time. Just one... I've _got_ to..."

Every second they wasted was another piece of Beacon Academy shattering to dust.

Glynda and Qrow couldn't do much against it alone, even with their advanced knowledge and skill. Every piece their professor attempted to rebuild only got destroyed all over again.

Weiss felt that every time a piece of the school fell away, it was a direct blow to her own heart.

The others felt the same. It was unspeakably horrible to have to watch the place they loved most be so violently damaged by such a fearful beast.

And by now, they'd all noticed a reddish glow forming in the dragon's belly, gradually climbing up its throat. If it were to release a miasma of fire and smog here, so close to them, they'd die of toxic fume inhalations within minutes.

They knew they needed to stop it before that happened.

But at what cost?

Yang, Blake, and Ruby all looked to Weiss.

None of them were willing to pay that price.

They'd rather risk dying together in the smog than lose her.

Weiss was already reaching for her rapier, her entire arm trembling, her fingers spasming so much that when she finally did make contact with the hilt, she couldn't even pick it up.

Yang was the first to find her voice and choke out a cry.

"No! Weiss, I won't let you do this. _We_ won't let you. I've seen you do it too many times already, like in the doubles' round, and then earlier when you lured the Grimm over the edge-" She needed to stop, memories of the times she'd mentioned making her remember the sickening fear associated with them.

Blake continued in her stead.

"She's right. You're always sacrificing yourself for us, Weiss. Back when we were fighting Torchwick in that robot, you took a hard hit, but somehow _still_ managed to send me a glyph. And on the train, you nearly got killed because of me!" Tears were slipping down her cheeks again, and now Yang was crying too.

Still, Weiss said nothing, her fingertips curling around the hilt of her weapon.

Yang and Blake knew they'd failed to get to her.

So Ruby took her turn. With an earnest voice and even more earnest eyes, she got her partner's attention.

"Weiss... they're right, and you know it... Weiss, look at me, please..."

Weiss bit her lip. She didn't want anything to shatter her resolve.

But she couldn't refuse Ruby's pleading request.

She glanced to her partner, her leader, her best friend.

Ruby's lips were quivering, her eyes welling with more tears, dried blood still caking around her right shoulder, some of it still oozing. There was sweat and grime and blood and tears all over her, and the message in her eyes was clear.

She'd lost enough already. She didn't want to lose anyone else.

"Wei...ss..." she whispered brokenly. "Weiss, _please_. Don't do this. You don't have to..."

She threw herself forward and collapsed in Weiss' arms, sobbing pitifully against her chest.

The heiress had thought that seeing Ruby might cause her to falter.

But it only strengthened her resolve now.

She'd put herself on the line for Yang and Blake already.

So _this_ would be for Ruby.

She picked up Myrtenaster, but used her right arm to pull Ruby closer.

"Ruby... you all know that's not true. Just like you... I took an oath as a huntress. That if... if there was something I could do to h-help someone else, I would do it. I need to do... everything within my power. And there's still... something I can do, so I'm going to do it..."

Her words made them all remember that oath.

All this time, they'd been fighting for the sake of survival, but had failed to remember that promise they'd made on their first day at Beacon.

Being a huntress wasn't just about living a full life, learning new fighting skills, and protecting others. It was all of that, and much more.

Sometimes, there needed to be sacrifices for the greater good.

But...

But they weren't going to let Weiss become a sacrifice. Not if they could help it.

Yang tried once more to persuade her otherwise.

"Weiss, listen to me-"

"No. _You_ listen to me. All of you." Weiss swept her gaze around to each of them, gently pushing Ruby away from her chest so she may see her eyes, too. Once Weiss knew she had all of their attention, she continued. "As I said... it'll just be one this time. And I won't be doing it alone. Will I?"

Ruby smeared her face into her sleeve and blurted out.

"No! Of course not!" She clasped Weiss' free hand in both of hers, clinging tightly and refusing to let go. With imploring silver eyes, she silently begged for Blake's and Yang's support.

The two shared an uncertain look with one another, but another roar from the dragon convinced them this was the only option they had.

Blake moved close to Weiss' other side, placing a sturdy hand on her shoulder. Yang supported Weiss' back, letting her lean her weight back into her palm.

Weiss took a few breaths, as deeply as she could manage, doing her best to feel their touches to the fullest and relish them.

Ruby's fingers squeezed hers, Blake's hand held onto her shoulder, and Yang's palm emitted a small warmth to the center of her back.

In turn, they spoke to her:

"You can do it, Weiss."

"We're with you."

"Till the end."

She let their words sink in, let them glide through the bedlam in her chest and wrap softly around her heart.

She'd never been more resolved, or more sure of anything in her entire life.

Straightening her back as much as she could, she waved Myrtenaster before herself and pointed the tip at the ground. Closing her eyes, she tried once more to drown out the sounds of battle rising up around herself.

Instead, she tried to focus on the warm hands keeping her steady, that burning sensation in her blood, that desperation to protect them...

She recognized the familiar sensation forming inside of herself, beginning at her core and slowly spreading outward, expanding bit by bit. She focused on it, tried to follow it, letting it lead her to the mindset she needed to be in-

"Ah-!"

A sudden jolt of pain pierced through her chest. Gasping, Weiss very nearly lost hold of her rapier and the glyph she'd been forming.

But Ruby was there to hug her around the waist and prevent her from falling, frantically trying to lift her back up. Alarm zapped through her as she felt Weiss' heart rate spike without warning, beating so hard that her entire body was shaking from it. Blake and Yang felt it, too, and they desperately tried to help.

"Weiss?" Blake's voice was thick with concern. "What's happening? Are you okay?"

"Ruby, this is ridiculous!" Yang all but wailed. "Make her stop! She's going to kill herself!"

Even Zwei was whimpering at Ruby's feet, sensing Weiss' distress.

But as much as she wanted to tell her partner to stop – as much as she knew Weiss would listen to her if she asked her to – Ruby couldn't do it.

It pained her beyond explanation to let Weiss keep doing this to herself.

But...

"No..." she sobbed. "No. She- she can do this. She can do it. I _know_ she can..."

She lifted her overflowing eyes to the others, begging, _pleading_.

They needed to support Weiss with this.

They needed to let her try.

Because if she couldn't do this, and if help didn't come in time, they'd all be killed anyway.

They'd never be able to help anyone ever again, nor would they be able to find answers or learn new things.

Right now, Weiss just wanted to give them a chance.

So they needed to give her the strength to do it.

The others understood.

Blake reached both hands up now, one to hold onto Weiss' shoulder and the other to support her from the front, right over her jolting heart. Ruby's arms were wrapped around her stomach, one hand clutching Weiss' right, her fingertips carefully tracing the throbbing pulse in her wrist. Yang braced both of her palms onto Weiss' back, rubbing gently in an effort to soothe her rapid heartbeat.

They murmured words of encouragement to her and showed their support in every possible way.

"Weiss, you can do this."

"We know you can."

It was a _lot_ of pressure. They understood that. Tons and tons of pressure forced onto a girl who'd been pressured and stressed about everything she'd ever done in her entire life.

Now their lives rested in her hands.

It was an unimaginable burden to place on such small, shaking shoulders, even though Weiss never for a second thought of them as a hindrance.

Even so, Ruby urged the others to share their aura with her, just as much as they could spare, especially since Weiss had none left for herself.

Until now, Weiss had felt everything was in order for the Summoning, save from the debilitating pain in her chest. But her lack of aura was preventing the spell's completion.

It was the final key component she needed.

And then her team gave it to her.

She felt Yang's first, a strong, encompassing warmth spreading throughout her back, trickling into her bloodstream until the numbness of fear had melted away from every part of her body.

Blake's was next, a smaller, slower flow that battled against the unruly emotions inside of her, canceling out their frantic nature with something much more collected and calm.

And finally was Ruby's.

Hers was like a gentle breeze, something that seemed to lift Weiss' troubles and carry them away, leaving only a feeling of warmth and protection behind.

Their support.

Their strength.

Their love.

These were the final missing pieces Weiss needed.

She kept her eyes closed, but from behind the darkness of her eyelids, three small paths of light seemed to wrap around her own, giving it the glow it so desperately needed. Her heart was under control again, and she remembered how to breathe.

After that, there wasn't much else that needed to be done.

She felt the surge in energy, sensing the shift in the air as a new presence formed before her. She heard the awed gasps of her teammates and might've smirked a little to herself.

Only then did she open her eyes.

Looking back at her was a Giant Armor, one she'd defeated some time ago. She'd known from the start that the purpose of engaging and defeating it in the first place had been so that she could one day call upon it for its services.

And now it stood before her, an almost omnipotent presence, towering high above them all, matching the size of the dragon itself, its blade the length of the beast's wingspan.

White and silver plates reflected light that seemed to come from nowhere. The sky and air had been clouded over with darkness, so Weiss couldn't understand where all of this brightness was coming from.

Until she realized it was coming from herself.

The glyph before her was resonating with the Armor, casting rays that cut through the darkness with ease.

Weiss and her team stared up at the Giant Armor's back, watching as it lifted its sword.

But it didn't advance towards the dragon.

Rather, it turned around to face the young huntresses.

Weiss inhaled sharply, mentally scrambling to find the connection between her mind and its.

She feared she'd done something wrong, that the terror in her heart had over-ridden the belief that she could succeed.

She feared it would attack them instead.

The Giant Armor advanced a step towards them, causing them all to tense up and brace themselves. Weiss floundered for that mental connection, trying to grasp it, to turn the creature around and take its attention off of them, but to no avail.

It advanced another step, and this time lifted its massive sword.

Panic flared through Weiss as she was forced to consider canceling the spell for good.

Her friends were equally as uncertain about what was transpiring.

"Weiss...?"

"What's it doing?"

"Why is it looking this way?"

She didn't have answers.

She now understood that when she summoned something, the creature still had a mind of its own to a certain extent. Especially since Weiss had only just summoned for her first time within the most recent hour, she didn't know the full extent of the connections of her own mind to those of her summonings'.

She didn't have full control over it, only an input as to what its intentions should be.

But overall, she was the only one with the ability to cancel the spell.

She didn't know if creatures resulting from summonings could possibly severe the connection with their master and potentially become rouge, but she wasn't willing to find out.

As the Giant Armor swung its blade around to the front, Weiss braced herself to cancel the spell.

But before she could manage, she felt a gentle squeeze around her stomach.

"Wait!" Ruby whispered.

Weiss didn't need to think twice in trusting her.

The four of them watched in bewilderment as the Giant Armor bent one of its knees and obediently rested on the other, bowing its torso forward in a display of respect. It laid its sword down between itself and Weiss and dipped its head.

It was the action of a loyal knight to their queen.

They all watched in wonder and amazement as the creature lifted its head, the gleam behind its helmet giving off the appearance of eyes.

It met Weiss' gaze, and a chill went through her body.

But it didn't hurt.

It was just... indescribable.

But the mesmerizing moment came to an end when another screech from the dragon cracked the air. There were voices shouting now, new voices, _more_ voices.

The Giant Armor picked up its sword and stood to its full height. It turned around, but not without one final nod of respect to its mistress.

And then it charged forward, blade held high, the tip pointed at the dragon's red throat.

Weiss watched it go despite the way her vision hazed in and out.

She could hear the other voices now. They were still muffled and distant, but it sounded like a lot. Re-enforcements at last.

Her thoughts were confirmed when she heard the excited gasps of relief from her teammates, calling out the names of friends, classmates, teachers...

But Weiss couldn't make much sense of things anymore.

She struggled to keep her eyes open and her grip on her rapier to maintain the glyph.

But the whirring motion of the Armor, the dragon, the other people charging in a flurry of motion before her was all just too much.

She had to close her eyes.

More sounds reached her.

Shouts, the sounds of clashing metal, bullets being fired, another rumbling roar that shook the ground...

She felt herself sagging back, a withering breath fleeing from her lungs as her body collapsed back into the arms of her teammates.

She could hear them crying out her name, felt their hands cupping her face, holding her wrists, and pressing over her heart.

But she couldn't do anything more than that.

In the end, all she could do was succumb to the warm, enticing blanket of darkness.

* * *

 **A/N: I know the canon won't play out like this, so please don't start leaving scathing comments on my story. It was simply a proposed idea, and a really neat one at that, one I chose to put into the context of a canon event rather than make one up myself.**

 **If/when we do eventually see Weiss' summoning, I hope it can be for something like this, a situation where she's the team's final hope and manages to summon and save them at the last second. I think it would be nice.**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	2. Epilogue - Afterward

**The epilogue idea was also requested by Tom, though I have to admit I indulged myself a bit and went a little further. Please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Epilogue. Afterward

The memories kept playing out in her mind, up until the very last second she could remember.

But after it had gone black, it was as though there was some stiffing presence snuffing out her mind.

She'd wanted to keep fighting.

She'd wanted to protect them, more than anything else...

She could still hear the awful, paralyzing roar of the mighty beast as it tore away at Beacon, all the while building up a poisonous breath in its throat.

She could still hear the shouts of the people who had finally arrived to fight it, then the sounds of battle, and then the screams of her name-

A joint cry of all three of their voices, screaming out her name in the most terrified manner.

That was what woke her.

With a gasp that made her chest sting, Weiss' eyes flew open, meeting the sight of white ceilings and walls.

For a few seconds, there was only the sound of her own breath, alongside a faint, rhythmic beeping coming from somewhere nearby. A hitch in her breath caused her to start coughing, alerting her to the distasteful dryness of her throat.

But just as she began to jolt and cringe in her bed, a familiar figure entered her line of sight.

"Weiss!"

Winter's blue eyes were clearly surprised and alarmed to find her younger sister awake so suddenly. Quickly, she reached out to rest her hands on Weiss' shoulders, gently pushing her down to stay on the bed. Her hands were firm, but didn't cause any pain.

Weiss did her best to focus on getting control over her breath, and soon the coughing stopped. Winter sighed, removing her hands from her shoulders to instead curl the backs of her fingers through Weiss' bangs.

"Take it easy. Don't try to get up by yourself."

Weiss breathed through her mouth for a moment, embarrassed in displaying such an unbecoming state in front of her sister.

But Winter didn't seem to mind. Her fingers continued to caress Weiss' forehead and hair for her, sliding down briefly to wipe away a stray tear.

A small shudder ran through Weiss' body, despite the warm blankets covering her. She made a feeble attempt at speaking, but no sound was produced other than a rasping wheeze.

Winter stroked her hair a few more times.

"Take it slow. Would you like some water?"

Weiss blinked and nodded her chin ever so slightly.

"All right. Let me help you sit up first."

Weiss felt her sister's hand slide carefully beneath her back, the other bracing her opposite shoulder. Slowly, and with meticulous care, Winter helped her sit up, adjusting the pillows behind her for support.

The shift in her position had a new wave of lightheadedness bubbling up, making Weiss flinch and put a hand to her temple. Winter continued supporting her for a moment, until she was convinced Weiss would be able to stay sitting up on her own.

From a nearby table, Winter picked up a glass of water that she'd prepared in advance and held it before her sister.

Weiss tried to hold the glass by herself, but with the IV wire on one wrist and both hands quivering, she needed her sister's assistance.

As the rim brushed her lips, Winter's voice encouraged her to drink slowly, reminding her to breathe when she needed to. With her sister's help, Weiss drained the glass, the cool liquid coating her parched throat in a layer of relief.

When she was finished, Winter put the glass aside. Not a second before the bottom had touched the table, Weiss was urgently trying to speak coherently.

"R-Ruby-" she gasped. "Blake a-and Yang. Where are they?"

Winter kept her posture straight in her chair, folding her hands into her lap with a sigh.

"How did I know that would be the first thing out of your mouth? They're fine, Weiss. And it's likely thanks to you that it's so."

Once she'd heard that, Weiss slumped back against the pillows, tilting her head against the soft material and closing her eyes.

 _Thank goodness..._

For a moment, she was allowed to relish that assuaging moment. She had a million other questions to ask and tried to arrange them in her mind by order of importance.

The feeling of a familiar hand on her shoulder coaxed her to reopen her eyes.

"Weiss-"

"What... What about-"

" _Weiss_."

Winter was a little more firm that time, silencing her with purpose, but not unkindly. Weiss swallowed a whimper and met her sister's gaze.

Winter moved her chair as close to the bed as possible, resting her other hand on top of Weiss' in her lap.

"Let me explain what happened. You just listen."

She waited until she saw a nod of confirmation before going on.

"Now, I'm fairly certain you were unaware of this, but I was present to see most of your performance firsthand. General Ironwood requested emergency backup forces, and so I deployed them myself and then followed in an air ship of my own.

"We found out rather quickly that the soldiers were being manipulated, and we were a bit short on people, but we managed. We remained on our ship above the Academy for the most part, trying to keep the skies clear of Grimm. That was how I saw you and your teammates."

Weiss stiffened at that point, her heart rate picking up a little, which was heard in the monitor's beeping.

"You- You saw-"

"Let me finish. What I _saw_ was the four of you nearly on the verge of being pushed over the edge. Your performance had become sloppy, almost haphazard, really. And then..."

Here, she paused, closing her eyes and shaking her head slowly.

" _Then_ , I saw you cast that glyph."

Weiss felt as though there was a boulder lodged inside her chest.

"Winter-"

"You cast that glyph," she continued. "And I couldn't believe my eyes. I saw your Summoning. And I was about to jump down and interfere directly. Your Grimm appeared to be rambunctious. I was surprised to see they managed to fend off the others."

Weiss remained silent, keeping her head bowed, her gaze on her lap. Winter's hand was still on hers, and when Weiss blinked, the image began to blur. Winter continued.

"Then we saw the dragon. We couldn't stop it in the air, and we still had to fend off some other Grimm before we could turn our attention to it. We received multiple distress calls to assist the school. My unit and I were preparing to land our ship and engage when I halted the command."

Again, she paused, seeking Weiss' eyes, but was unable to find them. Winter sighed.

"And I'd thought your first attempt at Summoning had been a shock. But when I saw that Giant Armor, I honestly thought I was hallucinating.

"Ozpin and General Ironwood arrived around the same time, along with dozens of other units and teams. They fought it together, and so did my unit. We stopped the dragon from breathing its miasma. The Armor dealt it a strike to the neck that prevented it from releasing the toxins, just long enough for some of the others to land significant blows. We had the advantage."

Another pause.

Weiss blinked, forcing the tears back as she felt another squeeze on her hand. When her sister continued, her voice was nothing like it had been before.

Much more softly, as though she didn't want to remember this part, Winter continued.

"And then... the Armor suddenly vanished without warning. The dragon was already weakened enough, and Ozpin finished it himself. I could hear your friends screaming your name and I rushed to you..."

Inhaling slowly, she let it out as though she were pushing out the poignant memories as well.

"At the very least, it turns out it wasn't as bad as it'd seemed, thankfully. They managed to get medical attention to you on time. You've been asleep here for nearly two days now."

It seemed like there was definitely more she wanted to say, but she thought better of it for now.

Instead, she redirected her attention to the present and raised her voice back to its more usual, harder volume.

"But my main point is that _never_ , in all my years of training and working with the military, have I _ever_ seen someone do something as dimwitted as you did."

Weiss felt as though her heart had been shocked with a taser. Disappointing Winter was one of her ultimate fears in life.

"Winter, I-I'm..." Shakily, she inhaled another breath, dismayed as her tears began to fall in rivulets. "I-I'm so sorry, I-I know my Summoning was _awful_. You've trained with me for all those years and you've given me the best advice and you taught me _exactly_ how to do it. And I still s-somehow managed to make a mess of things. I'm sorry I couldn't-"

"Weiss!" Winter stopped her not with words this time, but with an embrace. She pulled Weiss to her, wrapping her in a subtly fervent embrace, causing Weiss to gasp and cut off what she'd been saying. The younger sister sobbed again, her shoulders shuddering beneath Winter's hands.

"Winter-"

"Please. Be quiet for one second, you nincompoop."

Winter's voice had become soft once again.

She held her sister there, refusing to let her go. Weiss' hands remained limp in her lap, not knowing if she should return the contact or not.

But she did as Winter asked and listened as the tears continued to slip down her cheeks.

"Weiss. You're not listening to what I'm saying. You may be hearing it, but you're not _listening_. Yes, your first ever Summoning was a little unorganized.

"But considering your circumstances? Considering how long you'd been fighting up until that point, how mentally and physically _exhausted_ you were, the low levels of your aura? Considering all of that, _and_ the fact that it was your first successful Summoning, _and_ on top of that, you'd managed to call forth _multiple_ familiars? Weiss, that was the most _incredible_ thing I've ever seen."

The lump in Weiss' chest seemed to unravel all at once at her sister's praise. She couldn't stop herself from crying harder, burying her face in Winter's shoulder, her voice barely audible now in between hiccups.

"You... I-I'd thought you were... mad at me..." she wailed. "For being so... inefficient..."

Winter held her tighter, curling one hand behind her sister's head to cradle her.

"You dunderhead," she whispered. "Why are you putting words into my mouth? When did I ever say that? You're always too hard on yourself."

Weiss whimpered another apology, finally breaking down enough to reach up and cling to her sister's uniform. Winter savored her touch, making an attempt to hush her.

"As I said, your Summoning was absolutely incredible, Weiss. Even seasoned summoners have difficulty controlling multiple familiars. But yours were better controlled than many others I've seen. Definitely much more impressive than when I first managed to summon. I'm still astounded as to how you managed to call forth so many in your condition. And then to bring out the Armor..."

She sat back a little, tilting Weiss' chin up to meet her eyes, swelling with emotion.

"It takes a great amount of control for something so large. Even more so than that, it takes concentration, mental strength, and physical aptness. And even more so than all of those things, it takes a courageous, righteous heart.

"With how hard you were pushing yourself, I'm not surprised the Armor vanished before long. But if _that_ is what you're capable of doing when you're on the verge of losing consciousness, I can't begin to imagine what you can do when you're at your full health."

Tears were still slipping down Weiss' cheeks, but a wobbly smile had formed on her lips. Winter reached up to smooth out a bit of her loose hair for her.

"Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a long while before we can ever find out your true Summoning potential. You _severely_ damaged your aura levels, Weiss. And your physical condition won't be restored fully for at least another two weeks.

"The doctors recommend no combat or intense exercise for at least that long, and you'll need to take aura supplements and medicine for a month or so to help rebuild that. You'll need help standing and walking for a few days now."

Weiss listened to her diagnosis solemnly, her shoulders gradually slouching. Winter pulled her into another hug.

"You really... _really_ overdid it, Weiss. And I know how serious the situation was, but... I just don't ever want you to do something like that again." Her arms had began to tremble now where they rested around her sister's back.

Weiss hugged her in return again.

"I'm sorry, Winter. I'll try not to let it happen again..."

Winter bit her lip. She hated that "try" was all Weiss could do, but she knew that was the absolute truth. Should she ever be in such a dire situation again, she wouldn't blame Weiss for repeating those actions.

It was one of the many risks that came with the territory of being a huntress or any other kind of solider.

But Winter knew something like the recent attack wouldn't be happening again anytime soon, not with the extreme precautions the kingdoms were now taking and the reenforced security they were establishing. Research was also being done to create superior soldiers whose systems could not be hacked or reprogrammed by unauthorized parties.

She was confident in knowing her little sister wouldn't be needing to do something so horribly strenuous ever again.

She maintained her embrace on Weiss, letting her cry as much as she needed to. Winter kept back her own tears somehow, and ran her hands over Weiss' back and through her hair, noting how thin she'd become after the two days of being almost comatose.

"There's a lot of work to be done..." she murmured. "Repairs will be in order for months. But at the very least, enough of the Academy was spared so they won't need to send the students home or close the campus entirely.

"It's going to take time. I'll need to return to Atlas to take care of some things. But I'll call you every day to check on you. Should you ever need more for anything, just call and I'll be here in an hour. But for now, I'll have to relinquish you to the care of your teammates."

She pulled away from Weiss, who wiped her eyes and nodded. The mention of her teammates lit a nervous but eager spark in her eyes. Winter took note of it and stood from her chair.

"They've been worrying about you all this time. I think they might've slept in the lobby last night instead of returning to your dorm room. I'll notify them on my way out."

Weiss watched her sister smooth out her uniform and prepare to take her leave. Wiping her eyes again, she cleared her throat.

"And you said... they're all okay, right?"

Winter smiled.

"Yes, they're all fine. From what I've seen, there may not have been... any casualties from all of this, believe it or not. And I know there are a lot of people who can thank _you_ for that."

Her words reminded Weiss of the civilians she'd initially helped board the air ship.

The knowledge that no one had died from all this removed a great weight from Weiss' heart.

But there was still a piece of unmovable sadness that remained, for Penny's sake. Clearly, it would be quite some time before she got answers about that. She almost wanted to ask Winter what she knew about the General's ideas in that aspect, but decided to save that for another time.

Winter was ready to leave, but Weiss lifted her arms up one last time.

"Don't work too hard," she murmured as Winter lowered herself for one last hug. Her sister kissed her temple.

"Same to you. I'll notify Father about you as well, so don't worry about that." Winter gave her one final squeeze. "I am _so_ proud of you, Weiss. Don't ever forget that."

Weiss sobbed again, but there was a smile on her lips.

Winter held onto her for a long, long moment then.

Weiss felt it was a bit odd somehow. It was almost as though Winter was reminding herself that this was real, like something had happened to make her doubt reality. Her grip was tight, and Weiss thought she even heard a small sob...

But when they parted, Winter showed no signs of distress. With her usual air of professionalism, she headed for the door, and paused before she could open it.

"I feel I already know your answer," she said. "But would you like me to send in your team? Do you think you can handle it right now, or would you like to rest a bit more?"

Weiss made sure to straightened herself up as much as she could and clear her face of tear trails.

"Send them in, please."

Winter smiled.

"Of course."

With that, she opened the door and left the room.

For a few minutes, Weiss was left in silence, save from the sounds of the monitor.

Now that she had a chance to focus on herself, she noted the strange feeling in her body, likely the result of her depleted aura levels. She could tell it would take a while to get herself back to normal, but there would be plenty of time for that in weeks to come.

Everyone would need that time to heal themselves, help others, and try to find answers.

It would take a long time, and Weiss knew her team in particular would have a lot of sorrow to deal with. But at the very least, they still had one another.

It wasn't long before the silence of the room was broken by the sounds of flurrying footsteps.

A rush of emotion surged through her, but Weiss tried to remain composed. She waited for the click of the doorknob, the push to open it-

" _Weiss!_ "

The next thing she knew, Ruby had thrown herself into Weiss' arms, red petals floating down through the air to land on the white sheets.

Her partner was already sobbing, half-sitting, half-collapsing onto the side of the bed. Her grip on Weiss was tight, but just loose enough not to risk hurting her.

As soon as Weiss had processed everything, she slowly returned the hug.

"Hi, Ruby."

Suddenly, she sounded much more exhausted than she thought she felt, as though she'd been preparing all this time to put on a facade of composure.

But the sight of Ruby's tears and the feeling of her trembling form in her arms shattered any and all of Weiss' efforts to remain stoic. At least her wounded shoulder didn't seem to be bothering her much.

Weiss held her close, sniffling as she realized her own tears were inevitable, despite her best efforts.

By the time Yang and Blake hobbled through the door, Weiss was already crying.

Yang was holding one of Blake's arms around her shoulders, helping the Faunus girl limp into the room. The second they saw Weiss, it seemed they could hardly believe it.

"Weiss!" Blake's bow wiggled as her ears perked up beneath it. "You're... you're awake."

"Thank god..." Yang dipped her face into her shoulder briefly and shook her head.

She helped Blake around the bed to where Winter had sat before, letting Blake sit there and then pulling up another chair for herself. They looked Weiss over with incredulous gazes, and it wasn't long before they'd begun to cry as well.

Ruby was the loudest of them all, naturally, blubbering and weeping into Weiss' hospital robe, still huddled in her arms and refusing to let her go.

Weiss was overwhelmed with joy that they'd all been so genuinely concerned about her wellbeing.

"There, there..." Weiss sighed. "You're overdoing it a bit, Ruby."

Her leader threw her head up and bore her overflowing silver eyes into Weiss' somewhat calmer ones.

"No I'm not!" Ruby wailed. "I'm n-not overdoing it! I'm d-doing it juh-just the right amount!"

Puzzled, Weiss kept her arms around the girl, but looked over to the others.

"It's alright. I only passed out... right?"

Blake and Yang shared a glance with one another, jaws dropping and churning as they tried to think of something to say. Blake's brow furrowed deeply as she tried to talk.

"You... you mean... your sister didn't tell you...?"

Yang put a hand to her mouth and looked away, taking a moment to compose herself.

"Honestly, I can't blame her..."

Blake put a hand on her partner's back by means of comfort and spoke softly to her.

Weiss felt a prickle run through her stomach and chest. She looked back down at Ruby, her fingers subconsciously clinging tighter to her leader's cloak.

"Ruby...? What exactly... didn't my sister tell me...?"

Ruby was quite obviously the last of them who would be able to compose herself for this, but she did her best. She wiped her sleeve, palms, and knuckles over her face in an effort to dry it, but the tears weren't stopping.

"W-Weiss-" Her voice rose up and broke, and she needed to stop and try again. "W-Weiss, you... after you summoned the big knight, he-he was fighting together with the professors. And then you suddenly just fell over a-and you wouldn't wake up no matter how much we called for you! And they sent a medical team over, b-but no matter what they did you just didn't... you didn't wake up..."

As she talked more, her emotions ran higher and higher, her voice choked with sobs. "Th-They said your aura was depleted and you were hurt on the inside a-and you'd strained yourself too much a-and you... your heart stopped and they had to do all this s-stuff and then they said you-"

She cut off again, physically unable to continue. Ruby wailed at the top of her lungs and buried her face in Weiss' chest, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably against her.

Weiss was so alarmed by her reaction and revelation that she looked up to Yang and Blake.

"What-?" she demanded. "What happened?"

Blake tried to meet her eyes, and she and Yang held onto one another for support as they remembered it all.

"They told us..." Blake covered her mouth, finding she couldn't say it after all.

Weiss looked to Yang desperately.

The blonde pulled Blake close to soothe her, taking in a deep, steadying breath.

"They told us you were dead."

A crippling disbelief filled the room, so heavy it was almost debilitating.

Weiss felt she'd forgotten how to breathe, and had it not been for Ruby's howling sobs, she might've thought this was all just a dream.

Weiss couldn't process the words.

She stared blankly at Yang while clinging tighter to Ruby, as though to confirm she herself was really still alive right now. There was a brief instance where she failed to feel her own heart beating, but the sounds of the monitor reaffirmed her current state.

Still, Weiss couldn't believe it.

She shook her head hollowly, trying to comprehend it.

"No... That... that can't be..."

Ruby cried a little harder, hugged a little tighter. Yang let out another breath to keep her emotions in check as best she could.

"It's true, Weiss. They tried to resuscitate you, used a defibrillator and everything. But..." She tapered off, and Blake picked up the retelling from there.

"They tried a few times and... nothing worked. But Ruby refused to let them give up. She didn't let them. She just kept screaming and yelling at them and begging them to try just one more time, one more time..."

It was surreal to listen to them talk like this. Weiss still couldn't fathom most of what they were saying. In her arms, Ruby got ahold of herself just long enough to finish the story.

"S-So they tried one more t-time, e-even though they... they said it probably wouldn't make a difference. But it did. It did a-and then they shouted that it had worked and then they were all swarming around you and th-they took you away and we couldn't even come see you...

"Four minutes and th-thirty three seconds... That's how long you were... your heart wasn't beating for..." Her voice died away into another heavy whimper, followed by a string of more sobs. "You died, Weiss... You _died_ for us..."

Weiss didn't know how to react to all of this. The only thing she could do was cry and try to understand it. Ruby just kept weeping in her arms,

"You died... _you died, Weiss_..."

She cradled Ruby close like the precious girl she was, caressing her hair. Weiss steadied her own voice enough to whisper back to her.

"But I'm okay now, Ruby. I'm okay..."

Still, she was having trouble with this. They all were.

Weiss lifted her face from Ruby's shoulder and met Blake's eyes, then Yang's. The heiress reached out for them, silently beckoning them closer.

Yang stood right away, then helped Blake up more slowly. Together, they moved to sit on the edge of the bed on the side opposite Ruby.

Yang helped Blake slide close to Weiss, who coaxed her closer until she could wrap her other arm around the Faunus girl. Blake shifted nearer, cautiously wrapping both arms around Weiss' torso, overlapping Ruby's. Last of all, Yang sidled in, leaning forward to encompass Blake and Ruby in her embrace, bringing them all closer to Weiss.

Weiss hugged them all in turn, squeezing Ruby first, then gently prying her off, promising it would only be for a moment. She then hugged Blake with both arms, sighing against her, resting her chin on her shoulder. Finally, she hugged Yang, leaning against her for support of more than one kind.

Moments passed, and they all simply relished one another for all they could. They accepted the truth of now, that they were all alive and well. Together.

Before long, Ruby was fidgeting almost impatiently, nudging Yang back a little more quickly so she could take her proper place hugging Weiss once more.

By now, the atmosphere in the room was changing for the better.

They didn't have to think about what had _almost_ happened anymore. They just tried to focus on what was happening _now_.

Ruby's sobs were becoming softer, less intense now. She kept hugging Weiss, but straightened her back a bit, wearing a smile.

"But man, those white Grimm you made were soooo cool, Weiss!"

"I'll say," Blake agreed. "I'd heard about your family's ability to summon, but I'd never seen it firsthand before."

"Same!" Yang added. "Ruby told me about the little Nevermores your sister made when she was squabblin' with our uncle, but _yours_ was much more impressive. It was just awesome!"

"That was the Nevermore we defeated together!" Ruby recalled proudly. "I can't believe it could come back and fight _for_ us this time!"

"And the Armor," Blake went on. "It obeyed you without question. They all did."

"Super incredible," Yang concluded. "Boy, am I glad you're on _our_ side, Weiss!"

As they praised her to no end, Weiss felt her face getting warm.

"It could've been better..." she mumbled.

"Aww~" Yang cooed. "Don't be modest!"

"I think it was totally super amazingly cool just as it was!" Ruby decided.

"Agreed." Blake's bow flicked.

Weiss swept her gaze around to the rest of them.

"Fine," she sighed. "I can't win against you three."

"Nope!" Ruby giggled, the tears finally gone for good. She latched onto Weiss once again, snuggling her happily. "So how're you feeling? They said you'd need to rest up for a long time."

"Winter's already briefed me," she said. "I know the damages. A bit of a headache, and a little hungry perhaps, but I'm fine. What about your shoulder?" She looked to Blake and Yang. "And your leg? Your back?"

Ruby replied first.

"My shoulder's okay! It got dislocated, but they fixed me up! It's just sore now and I can't hold Crescent Rose with my right hand for a while, but that's all!"

"I'll have a limp for another week," Blake commented. "But it's not broken or anything. Just sprained. I'll be fine."

"And this ain't nothin' I can't handle," Yang reassured. "Couple cracked ribs but nothin' serious."

"'Nothing serious', she says..." Weiss rolled her eyes. "But I'm glad you're all recovering."

"Same to you," Blake murmured. "You gave us a scare."

"I can imagine..." Weiss rested her back fully against the pillows again, Ruby cuddling up beside her, still hugging her waist. "I'm sorry. I promised Winter as well, but I won't do anything like that again. I'll train slowly from now on, and should I ever need to summon again on the battlefield, I'll be properly trained and prepared for it."

Her teammates smiled.

"Good to hear," Yang clapped.

"Rest now, train later," Blake said.

"Sounds like a plan," Weiss confirmed. "The rest of you do the same. I don't think they'll discharge me for a few more days, but even after they do, we need to focus on recovering first."

"Classes are cancelled until the school gets fixed up," Yang informed her. "Everyone's taking time to heal and rest up after all this. So no rush."

"Then when classes start up again, we'll be able to work harder," Blake said. "So we can make sure something like this never happens again."

"Yeah!" Ruby piped. "We're gonna get so much stronger together! I can't wait to train together again when we're all better! And Weiss, I wanna pet one of your Beowolves sometime!"

"We'll see."

The four of them shared a small laugh and wiped away the last of the tears. Then, Weiss failed to stifle a yawn, and it was soon passed around.

"Welp," Yang grunted. "I think that's enough of a sign that we should get going, huh?"

"None of us really slept last night," Blake admitted. "We were so worried about you."

"We're so glad you're okay, Weiss." Ruby squeezed her one more time.

Weiss was so used to her warmth and the contact now that she knew it wouldn't feel right once they'd left her. Weiss returned the embrace again, murmuring softly.

"I'm glad you're all okay, too. I'm glad this is over for now..." She didn't want their minds to have to lapse back into thoughts regarding Penny or Emerald and Mercury. She went on quickly. "Let's all get some rest."

"Yeah." Finally, Ruby peeled herself away from her partner. "Maybe tomorrow I'll ask the staff if we can bring you some lunch and we can eat together in here!"

Weiss smiled, her blue eyes shimmering.

"I'd like that."

With the pain of the past behind them, and their plans for the future made, they were ready to rest tonight.

So they could wake again tomorrow and keep moving forward.

* * *

 **A/N: I wanted to end this story with Monty's famous words. No matter the challenges or loses we may face, we've got to get up and keep going. I like to believe Monty's teachings will live on through the characters of RWBY and teach a younger generation of his positivity and constant willingness to take life on.**

 **Thank you all for reading!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


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